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Published:16:57Sunday 03 July 2016Updated:07:40Monday 04 July 2016

Firefighters today remain at the scene of a huge blaze which ripped through a Morrisons factory on the outskirts of Leeds, and sent burnt bread flying through the air.

Plumes of thick black smoke were visible across the city as fire crews from across West Yorkshire fought the blaze, at a single storey building on the Junction 41 industrial estate, just off the M1 between Leeds and Wakefield, on Sunday afternoon.

The fire service said the fire is at Rathbones Kear Ltd, a bakery operated by Morrisons on the estate in Stephenson Way.

Some members of staff at the depot were treated for smoke inhalation but no one was seriously injured, and West Yorkshire Police said they do not believe that the fire was caused deliberately.

Nearby residents said they saw burnt bread and debris flying through the air after the fire broke out at the bakery on Wakefield industrial estate, West Yorkshire, at around 4.15pm on Sunday.

Twitter user Vanessa TwilightDash tweeted: “Everybody was watching for miles. People were screaming “morrisons is on fire” There was flying burnt bread in peoples gardens.”

Firefighters at the scene following a blaze at a Morrisons bakery on a Wakefield industrial estate

Timothy Stringer shared a photo of what appeared to be a charred piece of debris and said: “Found outside the house approximately 1 mile from the Morrisons bakery fire in Outwood.”

Another Twitter user reported small fragments of debris landing in their garden some two miles away.

West Yorkshire Fire Service said around 80% of the building was burning and 15 engines were sent to the incident.

Police warned motorists to stay away from the area and road closures were put in place.

Police tweeted this picture of the blaze at a Morrisons building

Inspector Paul Maxfield said: “Due to the size of the fire, a large number of fire appliances were deployed which necessitated road closures around the scene.

“The fire is not being treated as suspicious and there were no serious injuries but a small number of members of staff were treated for smoke inhalation.

“We are continuing to liaise closely with the fire service to assist with their management of the incident and are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to neighbouring businesses and the surrounding community.”

Police closed Kenmore Road, Wakefield, in both directions to free up access for emergency crews and have reported significant congestion around the A650 in Wakefield.

From the Twitter feed of Mike Gower (@MikeGower)

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the alarm was raised at 4.15pm and that at the height of the incident there were 15 fire appliances in use to bring the fire under control.

She said that 80 per cent of the building was on fire, encompassing an area of 100 metres by 80 metres.

Morrisons has a distribution depot at the Junction 41 estate, which is home to dozens of businesses.

The supermarket chain, which has headquarters in Bradford, confirmed that the fire was at its Rathbones bakery in Wakefield.

A spokesman said: “All colleagues were evacuated quickly and safely.”

Firefighters at the scene following a blaze at a Morrisons bakery on a Wakefield industrial estate

Firefighters at the scene following a blaze at a Morrisons bakery on a Wakefield industrial estate

Firefighters at the scene following a blaze at a Morrisons bakery on a Wakefield industrial estate